Research

Average facility fee payments to ambulatory surgery centers have declined 27% per episode and 29% per procedure since ASC fee schedule changes mandated by SB 863 were adopted in 2013. Click here for the full report published jointly by CWCI and the WCIRB.

A new analysis on the use of ICD-10 codes in California workers comp during the transition from the ICD-9 system finds that 99 percent of submitted medical bills used ICD-10 codes and, as expected, a wider range of codes were provided than in the past, but many lacked the additional characters that better define the injury, identify the type of encounter and improve communication.

A CWCI Research Update finds the use and cost of Schedule II and Schedule III painkillers to treat California injured workers has remained at record levels since 2010 and takes a fresh look at the prescribing patterns of doctors who write Schedule II opioid prescriptions.

With the passage of Proposition 64, California voters approved the use of recreational marijuana in the state. This CWCI analysis examines the intersection of workers' compensation with medical and recreational marijuana laws in California, in other states, and at the federal level.

A new CWCI study measures the level of attorney involvement in Calif WC indemnity claims, and provides regional data on average payments and claim closure rates for these claims.

A new CWCI Report to the Industry examines the issue of Urine Drug Testing in California workers' comp, which now accounts for nearly half of all lab services and more than half of all payments for lab services in the California system.